Strategic Elements Ltd’s (ASX:SOR) subsidiary ‘Stealth Technologies’ will design and deliver an autonomous drone carrying vehicle that automates detection and sensing of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear agents.
The company will collaborate with Defence Science Technology Group (DSTG), part of the Australian Department of Defence, and the University of Western Australia to build the solution and conduct a live demonstration to Army. The Western Australian Defence Science Centre has agreed to part fund the collaborative work.
The autonomous vehicle will carry drones and sensors into a target environment keeping humans at a safe distance. The autonomous drone will enable rapid traversing of the target area using sensors to map and/or monitor the location of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) sources.
Managing Director, Charles Murphy, said the collaboration will result in a live demonstration of the Autonomous CBRN Vehicle to Defence (both DSTG and Army) and investigate advanced manufacturing capabilities and facilities for production in Western Australia.
Other outcomes include the potential to leverage the autonomous capability to other Australian Defence Force problems – for example other Resupply, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance use cases.
The Autonomous CBRN Vehicle has the ability to mitigate certain risks that our Australian Defence personnel face in CBRN environments whilst increasing the efficiency and accuracy of CBRN detection and sensing,” Mr Murphy said.
“I am proud of our Stealth team, the AxV Autonomous Platform is gaining significant credibility and trust amongst some very serious players looking for autonomous solutions. We see significant commercial opportunities to build its value across multiple sectors such as security, defence, mining and logistics.”
Stealth Autonomous Technology
CBRN Defence refers to the various procedures and equipment used to protect, detect, and decontaminate chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear agents, which can cause mass destruction. CBRN incidents can occur accidentally, intentionally, or naturally. Amid the COVID-19 crisis, the global market for CBRN Defence estimated at US$16.2 Billion in the year 2020, is projected to reach a revised size of US$21.9 Billion by 20271.
Defence Science Technology Group
DSTG is part of the Australian Department of Defence dedicated to providing science and technology support to safeguard Australia and its national interests. The Company previously announced a scoping study to integrate DSTG developed CBRN search algorithms with a Stealth autonomous drone carrying vehicle. The collaboration will carry out the integration of these algorithms with Stealth’s technology.
DSTG will provide personnel, existing DSTG developed CBRN search algorithms and access to ongoing search algorithm development and implementation support. Critically, DSTG will also provide access to facilities and equipment and assistance with arranging access to Defence test sites.